Jan. 4, 2019 — The BetterInvesting 100 Index (BIXX), reflecting the portfolios of Main Street investors, dropped by 9.7 percent in December. For the previous 10 years, the annual return was 14.3 percent versus annual growth of 15.0 percent for the S&P 500 Equal-Weight Index (based on a total return for both indexes in which dividends are reinvested). The BetterInvesting index’s five-year gain of 8.1 percent a year exceeded the 7.1 percent annual increase for the S&P 500 EWI.

BIXX’s total return index ended December at 427.74, compared with 472.32 at the end of November. Without dividends reinvested, the index was 318.28 at the end of December, an annual increase of 12.3 percent for the past 10 years and of 6.4 percent for the past five years.

The BetterInvesting 100 Index comprises the most popular holdings of investment clubs, employing annual data from the myICLUB.com online club accounting program. Solactive calculates the index, which began on April 9, 2007, at a base value of 150. BIXX is equal-weighted, meaning that each component constitutes the same percentage in the index.

BIXX reflects actual portfolio decisions by individual investors in investment clubs, while other indexes are weighted heavily toward decisions by large institutional investors. BetterInvesting’s individual members and investment clubs tend to have a longer-term focus than do institutions, with clubs’ average holding period for stocks at 3.1 years in 2017, according to myICLUB.com data.

Holding quality stocks selling at reasonable prices for the long term allows clubs and individual investors to benefit from the return these stocks often earn when the market recognizes their excellence. Long-term investing also reduces the costs of trading, which effectively increases return.

BIXX includes companies of all sizes, from small and medium-size firms to the world’s largest companies. To see the top 100 companies held by BetterInvesting members, go to the BetterInvesting website at www.betterinvesting.org.